Exam 1: Sociology: Theory and Method

We might identify one of the latent functions of public schools as:

A(n) ________ enables a researcher to test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by the investigator.

Paco has begun using symbolic interaction as a theoretical perspective to think about the role of food in religious ceremonies. What is one possible critique of this approach?

Anita puts forward the idea that under capitalism, working people and their bosses will struggle. From this struggle, a new kind of society will emerge. Her thoughts most closely mirror those of which theorist?

Maria believes that contemporary societies are primarily defined by the rise and maintenance of hierarchical bureaucratic forms of organizing large parts of social life. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist?

What are two advantages and two disadvantages of ethnographic fieldwork?

In two to three sentences, define sociology and how it differs from psychology.

Jennifer wants to collect rich and varied data about the lives of Native Americans who live on reservations. She wants to be able to not only document their lived reality but also to describe it as closely as possible. The best method of research for this kind of study would be:

________ coined the term double consciousness to refer to the African American experience.

Hunches about the nature of the problem can sometimes be turned into definite ________, or educated guesses about what is going on.

Marissa rejects the idea that we can make historical claims about society progressively developing. Her idea most mirrors which theoretical perspective?

Marxist and feminist theory often have different objects of study. Why are they both considered conflict theories?

Florence is interested in researching how men's lives have changed as women have increasingly entered the workforce. What kind of research question will she be formulating?

Why is a larger random sample more desirable in survey research?

Society, according to Karl Marx, was:

Wesley conducts research that involves meeting with subjects in a controlled setting. He treats some subjects kindly but behaves rudely to others. He notes how the different groups react to his behavior to make inferences about how people react to kindness and rudeness in certain situations. His research would best be described as:

________ argued that class struggles were what led to historical progress and development.

According to the textbook, ________ involve constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of situations.

Doug notices in his sample studies that marijuana users are much more likely to report using heroin than people who do not use marijuana. He concludes that marijuana must be a gateway drug-a drug that leads to the use of harder substances. What's wrong with Doug's conclusion?

Émile Durkheim believed that for a society to function and persist over time, its specialized institutions must work in harmony with each other and function as an integrated whole. He referred to this as: